By Amos Aar
GOVERNOR Samuel Ortom on Tuesday in Makurdi sworn-in five permanent secretaries and the new state Chief Judge 46 days to end of his two-term administration.
The five permanent secretaries sworn-in at Government House were Aondover Geraga, Ngufan Finbarr, Ruth Ubwa, Austin Ijah and Iorkpiligh Agwaza, while the new state Chief Judge is Justice Maurice Ikpambese.
Governor Ortom explained that the new permanent secretaries were appointed based on good character, commitment to duty, discipline, fair representation and reward for excellence in service.
Speaking on behalf of the permanent secretaries, Mrs Ngufan Finbarr thanked Governor Ortom for selecting them from among very many qualified people and promised to put in their best in the performance of their duties to ensure the development of the state.
Responding to his appointment, the new Chief Judge, Justice Ikpambese, promised to abide by the oath of office he took to uphold the constitution, in addition to ensuring improvement in Justice delivery and infrastructural development in the state judiciary.
Justice Ikpambese expressed appreciation to Governor Ortom for ensuring a seamless transition in the state judiciary and appealed to judges as well as the public to support him to move the judiciary to a higher level.
National Record had reported that Justice Ikpambese, though was number three in terms of seniority in the state judiciary, he was however set to be crowned as the state’s chief judge as the then chief judge and the second most senior were retiring.
Our findings indicated that when the then chief judge, Justice Aondoaver Kakaan, was to retire in March 2023, Justice Maurice Ikpambese was number three after Justice Itodo. However, Justice Itodo was to retire three days after Justice Kakaan, precisely on Monday, March 6, 2023. Leaving Justice Ikpambese was the most senior to succeed Justice Kakaan.
Announces New Auditor General
Governor Ortom, during the ceremony, announced the appointment of Godfrey Agada from Ogbadibo LGA as new Auditor General of the State following the retirement of Mr Amos Ekirigwe from service.
Until his appointment, Mr Agada was the Director of Treasury Operations in the office of the state Accountant General.
It will be recalled that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State had threatened to review every last minute appointment made by the outgoing Governor Ortom, including the new permanent secretaries that were sworn-in yesterday.
The APC state chairman, Comrade Austine Agada, had alleged at a press conference in Makurdi on April 3rd that Ortom was planning to hastily promote some select civil servant so as to appoint them as permanent secretaries whose role will be to frustrate the smooth take-off of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia’s administration, especially in terms of payment of salaries and pensions.
Rumours of manipulated promotions
In Makurdi, the state capital, there are wild but unverified rumours that the newly appointed and sworn-in permanent secretaries were handpicked in violation of extant civil service rules in terms of seniority. According to the rumours, some of the appointees are not qualified to occupy the position as they have senior staff ahead of them.
Some civil servants pointed to the lack of composure by one of the permanent secretaries at the swearing-in ceremony as major case of the lack of qualification of the appointees.
National Record observed during the swearing-in ceremony of the five permanent secretaries that some of them actually lacked the intellectual capacity to occupy the exalted office.
A newly sworn-in female permanent secretary, Ngufan Finbarr, who spoke on behalf of her colleagues, openly displayed lack of composure and basic knowledge required for the position as she did not know the name of the state deputy governor. She also could not express herself without being helped by other people including Governor Ortom himself.
While observing the protocol in her speech, Ms Finbarr erroneously said: “The State Deputy Governor, Engr Samuel Abounu”. With the audience in the banquet hall became noisy with corrections, she paused for almost a minute and said erroneously again: “Engr Samson Abounu”. There erupted louder noise compelling her to remain silent until Ortom helped her with the Deputy Governor’s full name as “Engr Benson Abounu”.
In her attempt to assure Governor Ortom that the new permanent secretaries would not disappoint him, Ms Finbarr again could not compose the required sentence without being aided by the audience who interjected with the essential words to enable her complete her short remark.
Many in the audience, who later spoke to National Record, concluded that the other four new permanent secretaries might not be different from Ms Finbarr who spoke for them on the assumption that she was better.
